One of the
great pioneer divers of all times was the late Charlie
Sturgil. "The Old Walrus," as he was affectionately known,
started his diving career in 1929 in the frigid waters off
Northern California where he hunted for abalone by a method
he described as "feeling for abalone." He would dive on a
reef, feel until he found an abalone and pry it off, without
the use of mask, fins, snorkel or thermal protection.

Charlie began diving with a Japanese mask in the late 1930s
which was loaned to him by his good friend Bill O'Conner. A
few years later after the end of WW 11, Charlie, a master
tool and die maker and an inventor of sorts, developed the
necessary tooling to produce masks on a semi-custom basis
for himself and a few close friends. I consider myself very
fortunate to have been included in the latter category.

In early years during the genesis of recreational diving the
masks were either too large, too small, too stiff or after a
few dives, would rapidly deteriorate into a gummy, sticky
mess. This did not make for comfortable enjoyable diving!
After using a number of the masks of that era, the Japanese
imports, the American copy the "Sea Net," and the The French
"Squale," I decided it was time to contact Charlie to ask
him if he could make one of his custom masks for me.

After checking my meager finances, found I could possibly
afford one of Charlie's masks, so I gave him a call. "Sure,
Sammy, I'd be happy to make a mask for you, come on over",
Charlie replied to my request. Within moments I was off to
the then temple of Southern California diving, Charlie
Sturgil's garage.

I was met by this jovial hunk of a man with his infectious,
ever-present smile. "Hey ya, Sammy" was always his cordial
greeting. Alter a few moments of catching up on the diving
scene it, was time to get to work. "Sammy, I'm now making
two masks; the original for $6.00 and a new oval model for
$8.00", Charlie explained. After considerable soul searching
and penny counting, I opted for what I felt I could afford,
the original round mask for $6.00.

Now, Charlie's garage was something to behold. It appeared
to be in total disarray, and the best way to describe it
would be the day after a big sale for women's clothes in a
bargain basement. Diving equipment in various stages of
repairs, pieces of metal, lengths of stainless rods
scattered about... Omnipresent was the huge metal turret
lathe and miscellaneous metal working machines. But to
Charlie, it was his arena, it was where he excelled in
turning these seemingly scrap pieces of metal into custom
spear points, spear shafts, yes, even masks.

Charlie knew the location, size, shape and type of
everything in his garage. His storage system was logical and
certainly workable, but it still defies the imagination how
he managed to find anything, let alone make anything, but he
did.

Charlie went to work with the speed and skill of a emergency
room surgeon. He immediately uncovered a length of 5 inch
O.D. soft rubber World War 11, surplus firehose, from which
he cut a 4 inch piece. He placed the piece of rubber hose in
the wooden mold and proceeded to his trusty bench grinder
where he slowly hand cut a 1/8 inch wide, 3/32 deep groove
all around the edge for the glass. This was followed by the
rough contouring for the forehead, cheeks, and upper lip. He
then went to his metal rack and withdrew a piece of 3/4 x 16
inch 22 gauge stainless steel, which he placed in his
specially constructed mold and carefully, yet skillfully,
forced the stainless steel around the mold forming it into a
familiar round mask shape. His next step was to form the
band evenly and smoothly around the mold creating the lip
for the compression hand with light rapid laps of a hammer.
Using silver solder, the welding process of the era, he
soldered the tabs for the strap and the compression screw
tabs to complete the band. A piece of pre-cut 1/3 inch
glass, the same kind used for window glass, was taken from
the shelf and fit into the groove; the compression band
placed around the mask and the compression screw tightened.

At last, the mask was assembled. My own custom Sturgil mask!
Charlie proceeded to take some cursory measurements of my
then youthful face, and returned to the grinding wheel,
skillfully grinding a little here, a little there, another
trial fit, a little more grinding. Finally, a perfect fit. A
final hand finish with fine sandpaper, attaching of the
strap, cut from a truck inner tube, and I was the proud
possessor of a real genuine Charlie Sturgil Original Style
Diving Mask.

This occurred many years ago when diving as well as life was
much simpler, a time when pride in workmanship and ownership
were at a premium. Charlie made almost 40 of these one of a
kind custom dive masks, however only three are known to have
survived the rigors of our disposable society, mine, Alec
Peirce's of Toronto, Canada and Charlie's widow's Laura's
mask which is now on loan and rests in a Southern California
museum. And indeed they are museum pieces... The three
remaining masks are all in excess of fifty years old and
represent an era which was experienced by only a precious
few which will never be experienced again upon this earth.

Charlie has reverend position in the fraternity of diving
pioneers; he won the world's second Spearfishing contest in
1950 with a pole spear of his own design, was a pioneer LA
County Underwater Instructor and serendipitously developed
much of the spearfishing and SCUBA equipment which has
become mainstream in today's diving.

I will never forget Charlie, nor will anyone who ever knew
him.... nor will there ever be another mask like a home made
Sturgil Mask.

Thank you for your interest in Dr. Sam
Miller's History
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